Joe Manchin, Brian Schatz ‘no’ on Syria resolution

Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Brian Schatz announced on Thursday they won’t support a Senate resolution to authorize military force in Syria, making the job of passing it that much harder.

The West Virginia Democrat was considered a key swing vote in the uphill battle to marshal support for a limited military intervention in Syria. But after weeks of attending closed briefings, speaking with military and Obama administration officials and hearing from thousands of West Virginians, Manchin said that he couldn’t support the resolution as passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That resolution is expected to come before the full Senate next week.

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“Given the case that has been presented to me, I believe that a military strike against Syria at this time is the wrong course of action,” Manchin said. “I believe that we must exhaust all diplomatic options and have a comprehensive plan for international involvement before we act.”

One of the Senate’s newest members, Schatz (D-Hawaii) said he made his decision after hearing from experts and his constituents.

”Though all of us are outraged by the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons, I have concluded that a military strike against Syria is not the answer. Therefore, I will oppose this resolution,” Schatz said in a statement.

A Manchin aide said it hasn’t been discussed whether Manchin would vote to end debate on the bill, but against final passage, as Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said he would do after voting against the resolution in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday. A Schatz aide did not immediately respond to a question on cloture.